Desert hares everywhere!

 I was dodging Desert Hares this morning on my way to the walk meet-up with Bill and Monty in Brown Canyon at 0445 am.  I even struck and killed one that ran right into my driver's side.  I could hear the impact of the doomed hare's body against the tire.  The body was still on the road when I drove home.  I hate killing wildlife.  It was an adult hare that at least died on impact; its lifeless eyes were wide open.

Today's walk with "the guys" was 5.75 miles.  We never met another hiker/runner/rider. The guys are now starting the walk from Richard's Trail, a mile down road from the original start.  That's two miles extra.  I don't feel I'm up to their level yet, but I am feeling stronger today than when we began our morning walks two weeks ago.  The guys eventually want to work up to ten miles and they are encouraging me.  They are good company.

I took Zana this morning.  She was a bit more squirrely today, chasing after three deer early on before putting her back on leash.  There were plenty more hares all along the route.  That evening rain last Wednesday has really brought out the wildlife!

We were back home by 7am.

The dove and her chicks are slowly transforming into a loving brood.  I even spotted the mate nearby watching over the nest.  Yesterday I watched a brown trasher get too close to the nest and even I was concerned about the chicks' safety.  I want the chicks to grow strong and independent so that they can fledge the nest in two weeks.

Fritz and Wolfie down to the river

My original plan was to join the Huachuca Hiking Club on their walk up Carr Canyon, but after yesterday's hike up Carr Peak, wanted something different. Besides, seeing the river after Wednesday's rain was important. I wanted to see if new water has reinvigorated the flow. 

As soon as i could isolate Fritz to the backyard, I was ready to go. Wolfie was with him. Good enough. We got to the trailhead just before 6am. Both dogs were excited to get started. The morning air was still cool. 

The dogs know the way so it was no surprise to see both dogs in the water when I caught up to them. Yes, Wednesday's rain added volume to the river bed, but not enough to get the water flowing again. 

 I found a clutch of hatched turtle eggs near a hole in the sand. It looked to be around ten eggs. Turtle eggs incubate in 72-80 days, so these egg were laid in March. 

 I walked north to see any more changes to the water. Sections were still damp from the rain, but the surface is now drying up. I made the 2.75 mile the turn-around as I knew the last two miles back would be hot for the dogs.

Today was the first time I've come across a vehicle on the official San Pedro river trail.  It was a Toyota Tundra with a Permanent Fleet tag, CF-05326.  No body was in or near it.  The truck was parked on the road facing north.

Carr Peak with Hansel, Ellen and five more

Ellen organized this hike earlier this week and posted it on the group's new forum, heylo.  (It replaced MeetUp in January which got too expensive to maintain)  It was my first official hike with the new forum and I'm glad I participated.

We were a group of six people, all that Ellen knew from her mountain bike group.  We got to the trailhead just after 7am. I brought Hansel along and he did very well once we were on the trail.  

I discovered at the trailhead that my gallon jug of fresh water had leaked during the drive.  I must not have closed the valves properly again.  And to our surprise, the Sawmill springs was bone dry again and I was unable to replenish the lost water.  I had to give Hansel my flavored water, which he drank reluctantly.

The rain from Wednesday brought out the wildflowers.  I've never seen so many sunflowers!  The common mullein is blooming everywhere above the 7500' elevation!  The entire area will explode with color once the monsoon arrives in this part of the state.  (Our next big rain is forecasted for the 24th)  Bees were already trying to get inside the still-closed mullein flowers.  I also saw ladybugs here.

I liked this group. Victor, one of Ellen's biking friends, was up front but always stopped to allow the slower hikers to get caught up.  I was stopping a lot for photographs, but I felt strong and had no light-headed episodes today.  I simply have to do more elevation hiking more often.

Three young men passed us going up.  They were still on the peak when we arrived 30 minutes later.  We passed three more groups of twos going down.  Obviously a weekday holiday is a popular time to hit the mountains.

Four of us ate at Culver's afterwards.  Hansel by then was exhausted, but he ate his pup cup and had three cups of water while we chatted on the patio.

Our first monsoonal rain

Monsoon season officially starts June 15th.  Both Phoenix and Tucson got rain that day, but we here near the border got a short-lived drizzle.  Our rain came a few days later.

I've been anxiously watching the radar on days we are expected any percentage of rain.  The best day was today in the afternoon. It was up to 64% at one point.  I stopped all activity and sat in my Ikea chair watching the storm clouds move in.  The view I have of the Huachuca mountains looking west is always so impressive.  Storm clouds like to linger over the peaks before moving on.

I moved the dove nest away from the shelf edge and moved it away from the open air.  I didn't want the chicks to get wet.   The parent dove remained resilient and stayed with the chicks.

We got ten minutes of intense rain at 4:42pm.  Water puddled in the front yard before saturating the soil.  Then it stopped, only to resume again a few hours later as a lingering drizzle.  

It wasn't much rain in the end.  I dug up some soil only to see dry sand an inch below.  But it's a start.  All the rain gave me in the end is a delay in getting my yard work put in the trash bin at my old lot

(Almost) Ida Peak, Chiricahuas in far SE Arizona

 Hiking this peak with the Huachuca Hiking Club was Ellen's idea.  I told her I didn't feel ready yet for intensive elevation bushwhacking, but she encouraged me.  I was unsure of my stamina because the blood pressure medication I'm on now is giving me lightheadedness and fatigue.  We agreed we would carpool together, with Zana in the backseat on bed covers to keep her white fur off the upholstery.

We met at 0630 at the old Pizza Hut Bistro meetup and drove in three cars:  SteveS, DougB, BarryD, KarenF, MilesB, JimA, all diehard and strong hikers who love bushwhacking challenges.  I always enjoy getting together with this group, although the vibe has changed with some of the oldtime members, like RodC and Phillip no longer with us.

The drive to the Chiricahuas was over two hours long.  I hadn't had much sleep the night before, but didn't want to fall asleep and be dead company to Ellen during the drive there.

We started our hike around 9:30am at the Barfoot Peak campsite.  Another group with three dogs was already there, so Zana was on high alert.  She was calm, but I kept her on the leash until we were out of range and hiking on the Ida Peak trail.

This area of the Chicricahuas was burned 75% during the 2011 Horseshoe 2 Fire.  That was a bad year for Cochise County wildfires.  Today the steep peaks around Ida are still barren, with a thick layer of ash still on the ground, and ferns coming up from the once burned soil.

The first mile was fine.  I was keeping pace and not feeling exhausted.  Zana stayed on the trail next to me, but I was very aware that Jim was next to me and he doesn't care for dogs on the trail.

The entire hike was above 8000'.  It was still warm, although there was a slight breeze.  But once we got off the trail and ascended the steep slope up to Ida, I began questioning the group's sanity.  Was there really no trail to the peak that didn't require dredging up through dusty ash?  

I could  tell that Zana was getting exhausted as she sought out shade in whatever tree she could find.  Ellen wasn't doing much better.  I didn't have a hiking pole to help push me uphill (my bad), so when Ellen said that the group would be returning the same way back down, I opted to return back to the trail and wait for the rest.  My tracker had me at 1.67 miles one way.

Ellen, Zana and I waited in the shade off the trail for the others to return.  The views toward Cochise head were vast.  The forest here is slowly regrowing as new pines are popping up, but it's going to take another 50 years with good rain for the forest to regrow back to its splendor.

The other six people eventually made it back down.  "We found the trail to the peak!" said one of the members, and I could tell the hike up was exhausting for those who almost made it to Ida.  We hiked back to the parking idea and then opted to not do part II of this hike to the Buena Vista lookout.  That would have added almost two more miles to the track.  I was last there in 2014 with Sadie.

Monsoon clouds, as  forecasted, were moving in.  That alone convinced us to cancel Buena Vista lookout and head back home via a stop at Sandy's RV Park and restaurant in Pearce.  It's one of two eateries along the route from Wilcox to Douglas and a favorite among the hikers.

Zana had to stay outside so I tied her up to a bench in front of the restaurant, with her water bowl next to her.  She was unhappy with that and kept looking inside the window to spot me.  Others in the group came out to give her company, including Jim.

The meal was good. I always enjoy the post hike meal with the group.

We hit a short but intense rain in Elfrida. My lot, however, was dry when I finally got home in the late afternoon. My metal bird feeder broke at the stem from high winds 

The second egg in the second clutch hatched today, so there is some good news.

Ellen later told me that the group was impressed with Zana.  I hope that is true.  She stayed on the trail, didn't trip anyone over, and didn't bark or harass other people or wildlife.

The enclosed video is a recap made by KarenF, a talented videographer who has a good following on YouTube with her "Flynn Hikes" channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXe_A3EgEIU

Wolfie and Gretel to the river

Wolfie was long overdue for his walk but this morning he and Gretel struck it rich.  The only problem was that I started two hours too late.

We were on the trail by 8am at 76F.  That was not a problem,  We got to the river 45 minutes later and I could see more evaporation from our last visit from May 27.  The water is no longer flowing and is starting to look like mud water.  To the dogs that is still refreshing.  But by the end of the month there will be no water left unless we get a surprise early rainstorm to start the monsoon season.

We walked a mile north, walking at times in the dry wash, or high on the bank.  I made the 3-mile mark the turn around as I wanted enough time to get ready for my 1:30pm follow-up appointment at the clinic.  The dogs had no problem under the shaded canopy of the cottonwoods, but once on that last exposed stretch, we all started feeling the heat.  Wolfie was panting and we took several shade breaks, Gretel looked tired, and my throat was feeling parched and I was feeling light-headed.  It was now 89F and too hot for dogs.

They were happy to be back home.  The AC was running when we got in just before 11am.

I watched Wolfie walk.  He still has that limp in his rear right leg.  He's had it for three weeks. He's been on Dasuquin for one week.  He still ran and followed Gretel around, but I do worry about his overall health.

I was a little nervous about getting the lipid panel results, but the results were better than expected.  First, I lost four pounds of blubber and that is always good. My overall cholesterol is still high but not as high as last year.  The nurse suggested taking Omega3 tablets and we will do another test in three months.  I am no longer pre-diabetic and that was my biggest relief.

I will, however, continue to get light-headed from the lisinopril for a while.  I take my blood pressure several times a day now and record the readings.  Twice today my BP was below 90/60.  It hasn't been that low in decades!

I stopped by the old lot, threw more dead debris in the trash, and headed home.  It was now 93F and too hot for the dogs to be outside.  They didn't mind being inside with me.

Clouds to the Northeast looked rainy, but all rain today was for central-eastern Arizona and we were too far south.  It sure created a lovely sunset.

Another clutch of eggs!

Well, Susan and Erin were right when they posted on Facebook that the dove will lay another clutch of eggs nearby.

I was outside in the cactus garden watering the stressed plants after sunrise and noted an egg in another strawberry plant, this time on the opposite side of the patio (south side).  A few hours later I found an exposed egg on the ground in the front yard by a soaptree yucca and placed that in the flimsy nest.  Why would a dove lay an egg on the ground? I hope that egg is still viable.  I didn't see it yesterday.  The parent dove took it in and now we are back to waiting two weeks for hatchlings, June 12-13.

This new nest is a few feet farther from the front door and hopefully less stressful for the parent.  I will do the same towel covering around the shelf so that she feels safer and I will continue to keep the seeds and water coming.  I actually did buy a metal bird feeder and seed because of the doves, and now more seed-eating birds are visiting my front yard. A mesquite tree a few feet away provides some shade and cover.

Brown Canyon Loop

I hadn't hiked this since 2023. Bill invited me to join him and Monty at 5am and we all began this sunrise hike with Zana.

We started at the Ramsey Road trailhead and walked counter-clockwise. It was 60F. Sunrise was at 5:17 and we got to see the colorful beginning of the day.  But once the sun rose, it disappeared behind clouds, making our hike refreshing, breezy, with diffused sunlight.  I'm sure Zana appreciated that as there was no water today.

I was saddened to see so many mature oaks dying from the drought.

Zana did very well, staying close to me. I held her on leash when joggers and bikers came though. She did lose decorum in the end when she chased a deer.

The water trough was dry.

We may repeat this on Tuesday.

The fledglings have flown away

I wasn't expecting both chicks to fly away so soon.  Had they been practicing their wing movements in secret, to get ready for this?  

The first one flew away yesterday after I picked it up to let it move its wings.  Instead, it flew out of my hand down to the ground, then up into the mesquite tree by the house.  It was the last photo I took of the dove family.  The chicks are now resembling their parents' plumage.

Today the remaining chick and the parent bird flew out of the nest on their own.  The parent dove feinted a wing injury while the chick flew toward a few doves nearby.  Neither bird came back to the nest for the night.  I'm sure they will remain in the area as this is their territory and I will continue to keep the bird bath and feeders filled.

I was expecting the chicks to hang around for another week to grow strong and practice flying, but both birds seemed ready to leave the nest.  Perhaps my daily picture-taking stressed them out.   

Last day of school

Today was the last day for students.  It was bittersweet for me as there were a few kids in my 6th hour that really ruined the ambiance.  But overall there were some wonderful young people this year.

One student, Valese M, came by before my first class and presented me with a large Starbucks "Toasted Almond Latte" and a small bag of strawberries.  She is in my last period. The coffee was delicious but I zipped it cautiously because I didn't want to have to run to the restroom every hour.  I've gotten so used to being the one passing out candies or cookies, that getting something back as thanks threw me off guard.

I gifted two juniors, who suffer from low-economic status, each a $10 Taco Bell gift card.  They were so touched they both hugged me openly in the hallway.

And of course there were many fun seniors graduating later today that are going to enter a vicious world once they are on their own.

This was my last full-time year.  I will be retiring officially by next school year.

Tomorrow I clean out my classroom and turn in the keys.

And then after Memorial Day I will be making medical appointments to fulfill my annual Medicare physical exam.  I will also make an appointment for Wolfie to see why he has been limping for the last two weeks.  If he's diagnosed with arthritis, I want him to get the proper pain medications.  Gretel will get her three-year rabies in July and then all the dogs will be UTD on the required vaccines.

The river is drying up

I had planned on taking two groups of dogs down to the river, this weekend but Saturday morning, while photographing the doves, something either stung me or bit me hard on my left foot arch. The pain was intense and immediate.

 At first I thought it was a thorn that had pierced my slider, but I never saw the source of the pain. The pain lingered intensely for two hours. While I could walk, the constant burning sensation never relented. 

I lay down for a while with my left leg elevated, rubbed baking soda paste on my left foot. After two hours of no increase in pain or severity, I relaxed more. However, a walk down to the river was out of the question. I stayed home in case I had a delayed allergic reaction. The burning sensation lasted  for nine hours.  

Today the pain is replaced by constant itchiness. I still can't see the source of a bite or sting, but the affected area is red but there is no swelling. 

I looked out the west window to see the doves.  A dead desert hare lay near the e-bike.  What had killed it?  There were no bite marks on the young animal.

 A red flag warning was out for today starting at 11am for 24 hours. I took Gretel and Zana to the river at 7am. It had been two weeks since I was at our usual site. It was a pleasant 64F and winds were 13mph. 

The recent high, dry temperatures is impacting the water level. The river is now drying up and is no longer flowing.

 At the two-mile mark I could see the entire river floor going north, so we walked the dry wash for another half mile until we reached the next water source. I don't think I was ever up this way. The river runs parallel in two separate flows, covered by cottonwoods. 

 

 

Saw my first yellow zinnias for the year!

 I hope to take the boys down this way next weekend. I would have walked longer, but I wanted to be home safely before the winds arrived. We had hiked 5.6 miles and I enjoyed the exploration. 

 I was back home by 9:30am, I watered the plants along the fenceline.

 And sure enough, by 11am the winds increased. I was concerned for the doves. I checked on the doves and they were secure in their pot. The towel around the shelf blew loose and I had to tighted that. At least I knew the flimsy nest wouldn't blow away. Both chicks are now opening their beaks and raising their wings when I near them, mimicking their mom, but not vocalizing yet.